After showing 1000s of houses and condos for sale till date, I am of the opinion that kitchen have always attracted Buyers to consider a property or a well done kitchen always gives upper edge to your house or condo listing. I have seen buyers not willing to consider a property just because of basic kitchen, even though rest of the house was looking good. When we start talking about renovations, 1st consideration, in most of the cases is given to Kitchen, specially, if it is not showing up well.

If you are listing your property, there is no point, you over spend anywhere. But sometimes, if small renovations can make the difference to your bottom line…..then why not!

Following kitchen renovations, can do the job, based on what is missing/required in your kitchen to make it look appealing:

1. Backsplash – This small 1 day project, can make your kitchen look fresh and modern. There is huge variety available in the market, you shall just make sure, it is matching your cabinets and wall paint. You should just know, where you get them cheap and how to install.

2. Cabinets – This is a 1 week project. Most of the time refacing the kitchen cabinets works just fine, rather then replacing the whole cabinet, as doing later is 4 times the cost. The basic refacing project consists of installing new cabinet door and drawer fronts and covering the exposed face frames of the cabinets with a matching wood or plastic veneer. Many times just changing the handles can make the difference. No need to go for a branded kitchen cabinets as even in Million dollar homes, look and feel matters more then the brand.

3. Counter Top – This is 2-4 days project. A Good looking granite or quartz countertop, can make a big difference in overall look of your kitchen. This involves choosing the right stone, which matches your interior, working with a fabricator, who can cut it to your requirement and finally the installer who can handle this delicate installation, which requires lots of precision and skill. Walking to a retail store for this, will put a dent in your entire budget, as they are double or even 3 times the cost of a wholesaler.

4. Appliances – Stainless Steel is in Fashion. White basic appliances can kill your kitchen…..no matter what else you have there. There are many place in Greater Toronto area, which offer you good bargains depending on time of the year. Various Scratch and dent stores can also be a good source for shopping on these, as many times you will be surprised looking at the stickers. Just do some research before finalizing, as every deal in these stores is not a bargain.

5. Floor tiles – This is the last thing you want to change, as the whole kitchen is sitting on these but many times it is just the grout between the tiles, which is making it look basic and dirty. There are solutions available in the market, which can clean the grout and/or make the existing floor tiles look fresh.

Lastly, a thorough cleaning and organizing of kitchen is also very important. It is always a good idea to keep only the amount of utensils, cutlery, cooking equipment or grocery, which can fit in your kitchen rather then over stuffing, which will only make your kitchen look small.

To help our buyers and sellers, we have tied up with various manufacturers/fabricators/contractors, who can help you accomplish all or most of the above, in almost half the cost, if you compare it doing it through a retailers.

From sellers prospective, small renovations can sometimes make 1000s of dollars difference in their bottom line. Whereas from home buyers prospective, Buying a home which requires small renovations is not a bad idea….as in most cases, you will end up saving considerably as compared to something which is ready made and shining. We can always help home buyer get mortgages, which can add a small renovations as above added to their mortgages.

Were you looking to listing a home and wondering what do real estate agents do in home selling process?

Home Selling is a specialized process for which real estate agents are trained through a provincial licensing program. It is not just about putting a lawn for sale sign and printing a good flyer for your home……there is a lot of work involved in home selling process.

As each real estate agent is independent contractor and have his own level of expertise based on his training, experience and capabilities, there is no standard process to be followed in home selling process. All qualified real estate agents will have their own home selling skill sets, which will differentiate them from others.

Who Pays Real estate commissions?
First most important thing which you need to understand before listing a home is that main decision maker in any sale & purchase is the BUYER i.e. party with money in their hand. So, even though it may sound that you are paying the cost of selling…..end of the day these are monies are paid by Buyer, which also includes selling cost. You charged him purchase price which includes selling cost. So, please don’t just concentrate on saving real estate fees, there is a lot more to this equation which is equally important. Still selling cost is an important part of the whole transaction as you don’t want someone who is asking for too low home selling commissions….which is far below normal charges…..you got to take it with pinch of salt, as home selling process requires some time and efforts dedications, which real estate agents can’t give if there is nothing or too less on the table for him. Nor you want to stick to 2-3 top real estate agents who only believe in charging full commissions just because he/she gives a full page add in news paper….as that will raise your selling cost which buyer may not be willing to pay. There are lots of experienced real estate agents who will charge you discount real estate commissions without discounting their packages….look for those.

What do real estate agents do in Listing a home @ right price?
You don’t want to be listing a home at over or under price…..you got to list it at right appraised value. This important figure is very important part of home selling process. You can’t judge it alone based on house price sold next door or lane. Real estate agents will do a professional appraisal and give you a more accurate free home evaluation to help you list your own home at right price.

What do real estate agents do to make it present the best?
Home Selling is all about proper presentation. Not just based on what you think is right but what people like to see in their home. This may involve some fix up’s through renovations or maybe doing a proper home staging. Though all real estate agents have same basic qualifications……they still get distinguished here, as very few real estate agents have eye for what are weak points in a property and for their client convenience have already shortlisted contractors who are good to handle that specific job. Once this part is done…..then the property needs to be presented to its best for which few top real estate agents will have tie ups with home staging companies or experience to help themselves to make your house present the best.

What do real estate agents do for home selling marketing?
Listing a home is done now what about the home selling marketing? 80% of the home search starts online…..so internet home marketing is important step in achieving the desired results. There are fewer real estate agents, who have strong presence online home selling marketing plans to give maximum exposure to your property. A professionally done virtual tour for homes is very important, as that is what will convince buyers to spend time on viewing your property. Plus if your property is not present on 1st page of major search engines……it is as good as not existing. As all agents don’t have the expertise more home selling marketing infrastructure in place to achieve such results, you need to be sure that the real estate agents you choose, have such capabilities. This is over and above the regular marketing required like listing on MLS, printing flyers and doing open houses.

What do real estate agents do other then all above?
After listing a home with strong home selling marketing plan, you finally get few prospects. Your qualified and experienced real estate agents will qualify the buyers to make sure they can afford the property and are qualified buyers. Your real estate agents will handle all relevant sources of prospects and bring forward only the ones who are most serious. Thereafter starts the negotiation process, which if not handled properly can make you go 1000s in minus. Negotiation is not just on price but on terms and conditions within a written contract. Experienced & Qualified real estate agents are expert in negotiating without getting emotionally involved and know which conditions are important to protect your interest and/or are fair or unfair. Once contract is finalized and deal is firm, real estate agents will provide you support till the completion of your transaction and answer all the queries/concerns which are raised by either of the parties involved.

Just like doctors and lawyers, real estate agents also expertise in their profession and provide you professional representation in Listing a home and guiding you throughout the home selling process.

What do Clients Say About Us!!!

“The first thing I say about Sundeep is that he is trustworthy. I completely trusted his judgement, recommendation and guidance. This trust was built over 4 dealings that I had with him; as first time buyer when moved to Canada, then helping a close friend buy his first condo, followed by helping one of my relatives renting, and most recently selling my house in a record time and for my asking price.
I genuinely recommend Sundeep’s services. I know for my next house I will be using his services..."